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Panel Denies German XC Protests

Published 8:00 pm, Monday, February 18, 2002

Germany protested the results of both the men's and women's cross-country sprints Tuesday, but a panel of judges denied that racers ahead of the Germans had improperly changed lanes.

In the women's 1.5-kilometer final, Norway's Anita Moen won the bronze, but only after she appeared to drift into the inside lane belonging to Germany's Claudia Kuenzel. With Moen briefly in her path, Kuenzel finished fourth.

Norway won the men's final, as Tor Arne Hetland pulled away from German Peter Schlickenrieder to win gold. Each of the four racers must stay in his own lane, and Germany claimed Hetland veered into Schlickenrieder's path.

The competition jury denied both protests, and the outcomes stood. The German team tried to withdraw its appeal of the men's race, but the panel already had ruled.